Posts in the category

On 20 Aug | '2013

This year together we raised $11357.50 for Action Kivu!! Thank you so much to everyone who supported the fundraiser! We didn’t get to our goal (the numbers are eye opening about the state of blog reading.) but this is money that Action Kivu needs to keep running and we’ve made that happen!! So THANK YOU!

On 12 Aug | '2013

And like that, another year has come and gone and it’s time for the 4th annual Action Kivu fundraiser! Today is the FINAL first day of the fundraiser, held here on my blog, through this week. The fundraiser will end, and the giveaways will close, on Monday the 19th of August at 11:59 pm, Pacific time.

For those of you who are new to my blog, here’s the lowdown: there are lots of great giveaways involved in this fundraiser and together we do a lot of good!

If you read my blog, you know about Action Kivu, but for those of you who don’t know, Action Kivu is a nonprofit that helps women who are victims of the conflict in Eastern Congo by teaching them to sew at a sewing workshop. Action Kivu also pays for children to go to school and supports other programs for women that provide them ways to support themselves and their families. The conflict in Congo has taken the lives of over 5.4 million people since 1998. Rape is used as a weapon of war, with estimates putting the number of rapes in the hundreds of thousands. These are horrible statistics but together, year after year now, we have made a difference for some specific women and children. Here we are, year four of this fundraiser and the conflict in Eastern Congo is still happening. But that’s all the more reason for us to really do all we can this year. Please give all that you can!

Another way you can help is to please tweet, post on Facebook & Instagram or blog about the fundraiser – help us get the word out!

Part of what’s great about this fundraiser is that we know exactly where this money goes. Action Kivu is run by my twin sister and a good friend. They have been to Congo and have met many of the specific women and children who are helped by this fundraiser. The more money we raise, the more we help!

Last year we raised an amazing $17,500! This year we’re shooting for $20,000 and together we can get there!! The American staff of Action Kivu is 100% volunteer, so all of your donations, minus nominal banking fees, go directly to the work on the ground, empowering and educating the women and children of eastern Congo.

See that thermometer on my side bar? (click through if you’re seeing this in a reader) Let’s get it movin’ up and up and up! This online sewing world is so giving! Let’s pool that generous nature that is in all of us and make a real difference in the lives of some women and children who sincerely need our help. Please give today!

So here’s how it works:

In order to be entered to win a giveaway, all that you have to do is give the amount assigned to that prize. Can’t decide which giveaway you want to be in the running for? You can enter more than one! Just donate the dollar amount associated with a prize and you’ve got a chance to win it. However, you can only enter each giveaway once.

$15 Donation:

Donate $15 and be entered to win three quilting books! My two books, Block Party and Modern Minimal and a great collaborative book I’m proud to be in called We Love Color.

$17.50 Donation:

This prize was also just added on Friday the 16th, Donate $17.50 and be entered to win three sewing books! Zakka Style, I Love Patchwork and Whip Up Mini Quilts. All generously given to the fundraiser by Anquinetta V. Calhoun.

$20 Donation:

Donate $20 and you could win this 5 half meter bundle of amazing Echino fabrics! Andres picked it up at Superbuzzy and was kind enough to donate it to the fundraiser.

$30 Donation:

Sew Modern was generous enough to donate a beautiful Robert Kaufman Kona fat quarter bundle and a $25 give certificate to their shop. Donate just $30 and you will be entered to win them both!

$40 Donation:

Denyse Schmidt Quilts gave a big fat quarter bundle of her brand new line, Florence, and a copy of her new pattern, Between the Lines! Want a chance to get your hands on this fabric? You can do just that by donating $40 to Action Kivu!

$55 Donation:

Anna Maria Horner has put together the most beautiful emboidery and fabric bundle! Patterns, her gorgeous embroidery thread, and fat quarters of Hand Drawn Garden are all included. Give a $55 donation and you could win this amazing prize!

$75 Donation:

And guess what?? This year you can win a sewing machine! Janome has generously given a machine to the fundraiser. Need a new machine for a beginner? Or with this crowd, maybe it’s that you need a second smaller traveling machine? Give just $75 and you will be in the running to win this fantastic Janome MyStyle 100 machine! And all for a great cause!

$100 Donation:

And finally – Elizabeth Hartman was generous enough to donate a gorgeous finished quilt! Need a new beautiful throw for your couch? Donate $100 and you could win this handmade one of a kind quilt made by the oh so talented Elizabeth Hartman. You can see more photos of the finished quilt here.

Have any questions about Action Kivu or this fundraiser? I’m happy to answer them! Leave me a comment or email me and I’ll reply to you as quickly as possible.

On 9 Aug | '2013

I’d designed this one in Illustrator a couple of weeks ago. It was very quick to sew up once I got started.

The only step that’s a bit more difficult is squaring up the bias piecing.

But I put the finished piecing up on my design wall, mark where I want to cut and then I cut away. Admittedly it would be really hard to do on a quilt that’s too big for my design wall. This 60″ x 75″ large throw pushed the limits!

I can’t wait to quilt this one – the quilting is going to add so much to it.